


What's Your Name?

by andynooble



Category: Coraline (2009), IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abusive Parents, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Broken Bones, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fire, First Crush, Gen, Ghosts, Kidnapping, Loss of Parent(s), Missing Persons, Non-Graphic Violence, Puppets, References to Drugs, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Spiders, Trauma, the clown is here im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andynooble/pseuds/andynooble
Summary: “Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway.”~Eddie and Sonia Kaspbrak move to Derry following a family tragedy, but their new house has a secret.  Eddie discovers an alternate universe, with Other versions of his new friends and his own mother.  The universe seems to be an improvement from his real life, but it quickly turns sour and attempts to trap Eddie there forever.  He must be brave to save his friends - and himself - from the monster that has hidden in plain sight.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 13





	1. The House on the Edge of Town

**Author's Note:**

> Manti!!!! Happy Halloween!! I really hope you enjoy this AU, I had the concept for a Coraline-inspired fic and then got your movie ideas and ran with it!!! I'm trying to keep it to the same length as the book was, and I promise to update it as soon as possible <3

The new house was bigger than any house Eddie had ever seen. Granted, the only homes Eddie ever knew until now were the apartments of Chicago. They had passed a few houses on the drive that appeared to be normal; almost like the houses he had seen in The Goonies. But this one was nothing like those.

It looked as if someone had smashed a trio of two-flats together, then plastered a spire to the right side as an afterthought. If that wasn’t goth enough, the entire thing was painted pitch black. There was even a yard (Eddie’s first!) that housed the skeleton of a crabapple tree. The entire sad situation was enclosed by a rusty wrought iron fence, which Sonia begged that he  _ “not touch with his bare hands, no matter the circumstance!” _ He made sure not to forget her safety speech, for any mistake would cost him one of his few liberties.  _ “No climbing the crabapple tree, no going in the cellar, Eddie-bear, are you listening to me?” _ He shook his head at the memory. As depressing as this new house was, it was awfully fitting for the Kaspbrak family.

_ A fresh start, _ he thought. _ That’s what this was.  _ He took a deep breath, then brought the final box up the porch stairs. Behind him, the U-Haul truck’s engine sputtered to life but got drowned out as he closed the front door behind him. The inside was more liveable: floral wallpaper in the living room, wood paneling in the hallways, fresh tile in the bathroom and kitchen, plus finished wood floors throughout the rest. Eddie marched the box upstairs to his new room, which currently only housed a twin-sized bed, a milk crate, and a dresser. He dropped the box at the end of the bed and plopped into his mattress. It still smelled of the old apartment.

It still smelled like Dad.

_ “Dad! Dad! Look what I found!” _

_ “Is that an egg? It’s bright pink!” _

_ “It was on my nightstand! And-and there’s a note inside!” _

_ “Well, it looks like we had a visit from the Easter Bunny last night!” _

_ “Really!! You think so?” _

_ “Well, according to this riddle, there might be another-” _

_ “-Another! ‘Be quick, or the next clue might walk away.’” _

_ “Gee, I didn’t know eggs had shoes! Unless they’re borrowing a pair.” _

_ “I gotta go check my shoes!” _

_ “Wait for me, Spagheddie!” _

“Eddie-bear?”

_ Shut up. _ Her voice alone made Eddie queasy. He shut his eyes and tried to pull the memory back, tried to smell the mattress and shift to that apartment-

“Are you up there, Eddie-bear?”

_ Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.  _ But it was too late. Dad was gone. He rolled over in a huff and looked at the ceiling.

“I’m here, Mom,” he projected lamely downstairs. The ceiling was covered in cracks and water stains. Desperately needed a repaint.

“Come down here sweetheart,” Sonia cooed, “I have lunch for us!”

“Coming,” he muttered to himself. It took all his strength to lift his body off of the mattress. His body felt like it was made of lead. He trudged down the stairs and found Sonia doing dishes in the kitchen, his lunch placed in the adjacent dining room for him. A bowl of chicken salad, apple slices, and a glass of water. He couldn’t remember the last time he had chicken salad as a sandwich, or had bread in general.

“I added celery this time around,” Sonia divulged to Eddie as took his first bite. “I think I’ll continue to make it this way. Always important to get all your fruits and vegetables.” Eddie enjoyed the addition of celery, but would never tell her that. He ate in silence. “With your allergies and your father’s genetics, we need to keep you as healthy as possible.”

Eddie froze as he slid the next bite off his fork. ‘ _ Your father’s genetics.’ You mean his cancer.  _ He was shocked she could speak of his death so candidly, as if she weren’t affected by it at all. Like it was an inconvenience. He swallowed the chicken salad with a great deal of effort, then noticed how dry his mouth had gotten.

“After lunch, you’re going to take a bike ride downtown.” Sonia turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on a nearby rag. “Tomorrow I’ll need you to run to the pharmacy for me while the landscapers come by, so you’ll need to be familiar with where to go. And biking is good exercise!” She walked over and sat across from Eddie, who refused to look up from his lunch.

“A bike ride sounds nice,” Eddie grumbled between bites.  _ Anything to keep me away from this depressing place. _ He felt Sonia’s eyes on him but refused to look up. She sighed.

“Eddie-bear, I know it’s hard moving to a new place. But Chicago was far too dangerous for you. The only reason we stayed in Chicago was for your father’s work, but now there is no reason to go back.” She held her hand out, and Eddie reluctantly placed his hand on top. “Your father made mistakes, Eddie-bear. His bad habits are what killed him. I need to make sure you stay perfect.”

He nodded, unable to muster up words for Sonia. If he dared open his mouth, he’d lose his composure. She squeezed his hand tightly, then let go and took his empty plates. “You go on that bike ride now,” she cooed, walking to the sink. “If you get lost, find a police officer and ask him to take you to 29 Neibolt Street.”

Eddie got up shakily and took a final sip of water before heading to the door. He grabbed his fanny pack from the entrance table - Sonia was sure to place it there so he’d never forget - and strapped it on. He felt her watch his every move as he fixed himself, which made his skin crawl. She was always scanning him for injuries, or abrasions, or anything that meant she could coddle him until he suffocated. This bike ride was his one-hour window of freedom. He turned the door handle and let the sunlight spill into the dull room for a moment.

“Come give me a kiss before you go!”

He let go of the door handle and turned to look at his mother. There was barely any resemblance between the two of them. Eddie was short and slim, very much like his father had been. Sonia, however, was very large in comparison. Their size difference was always very intimidating to him. He quickly walked back to the kitchen and she bent down to accept a swift kiss on the cheek. Satiated, she returned to the dishes. He didn’t stick around for any more conversation.


	2. New and Exciting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: harsh language starts here!! (we meet Richie this chapter so. yeah.)

Eddie stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind him and collapsing against it with a deep sigh. He stood there for a moment, eyes squeezed shut and heart pounding in his ears. He felt his fingers start to tingle, and turned his hands into tight fists.  _ She’s gone. It’s just you. _

“Shit!” he spat, launching his backpack down the porch steps.

Almost as if he had an echo, Eddie heard somebody whisper the same “Shit!” he had said almost a moment before. Whipping his head in the direction of the noise, he saw a boy, about his height, facing the corner of the yard with his legs spread. The position made it look almost as if he were-

“Are you pissing in my yard?!” The boy held up a finger, which Eddie did not take too kindly to. “Stop it!!”

“Jesus fuck, dude,” the boy exhaled, fixing himself before turning around to face Eddie. “I can’t just stop mid-fucking-stream.” He had scruffy black hair that was almost in his eyes, but big rectangle-framed glasses were keeping it at bay. His shirt was a pale, tropical print button-down that was layered over a white undershirt, and it was completed with grey jeans and black slip-on vans. He stood on the grass with his hands on his hips, like  _ he _ was the one that lived there. “Besides, this place hasn’t had residents for like five years. I always piss here.”

“ _ Always?! _ ” Eddie felt like he was going to faint. “What the fuck ever happened to using a bathroom?”

He shrugged. “I’m like a dog, gotta mark my territory.”

“That’s disgusting.” Eddie grabbed his bike from beside the door and started down the steps and towards town.

“Hey!” The boy ran ahead of Eddie and blocked the gate, trapping him.

“Do you mind?!” Eddie had started this interaction with low patience, now he was unsure he had any left.

“We haven’t been  _ properly acquainted _ yet!” He extended his arm out with a bogus smile. This kid, Eddie thought to himself, had an air of confidence around him that he was almost jealous of.  _ Almost. _ “I’m Richie Tozier. I’ve lived in Derry my whole life, I enjoy the arcade, and I’ve never been to a beach but I’m sure I’d enjoy a long walk at sunset.” He winked at the last sentence, which Eddie smirked at in faux-disgust.

“I’m Eddie Kaspbrak. I’m from Michigan. And I am not shaking that hand.” Richie looked at him confused. “You literally just grabbed your dick with it. I don’t know where it’s been!”

Richie laughed at this, and wiped his hands on his shorts. “My hand, or my dick?”

Eddie held back his laughter to push Richie out of the way with the wheel of his bike. “I meant your hand, you perv. I think touching you, in general, is the common cold waiting to happen.”

“It’s July, you’re not gonna catch a cold from lil ol’ me!” He flashed a dorky smile and poked his finger into Eddie’s cheek.

“I will if you stick your finger in my mouth, dickwad!” He swatted Richie’s hand away and closed the gate behind them, making sure to use the bottom of his polo.

“Where are you headed, Kaspbrak?” Richie questioned, grabbing his bike from the curb.

“I’m going downtown,” Eddie replied, swinging his leg over his bike. “Have to get acquainted with where everything is and all.”

“I could show you around!” Despite having most of his face covered by hair and glasses, Eddie could see the boy’s face get red. “I’ve just lived here all my life, so I could show you, uhm- you know, all the cool spots and shortcuts.”

He was ready to accept, very eager to know more about Richie Tozier. Making friends wasn’t his strongest suit back in Michigan - sure, he had the AV Club members, but outside of meetings he kept to himself. This connection was new and exciting. But as he opened his mouth to respond, another voice cut their interaction short.

“Hey, Richie!”

Eddie turned to see another boy, taller than the two of them, with curly hair and a collared shirt that was buttoned up completely. He was about halfway down the block from them, also on a bike, waving for Richie to head over there.

“Shit,” he muttered, rolling next to Eddie on his bike. “I got stuff, I forgot.”

“It’s fine!” Eddie replied, a bit too fast. “I mean, I get it. Besides, I just have to find the pharmacy.” Eddie paused to find the words, and Richie’s eyes fell to the pavement. “Another day!”

Richie looked up, surprised. Then he smiled. “That would be neat!” If it were cloudy before, Eddie hadn’t noticed - the second Richie smiled at him, the sun beamed down with him. “Besides-” he kicked up his brake, “-I know exactly where to find you.” He winked and pedaled off towards his friend, and Eddie watched as they pushed each other around before speeding off down Neibolt. He smiled to himself.

_ Dad would be proud. _

***

The house at night was something Eddie needed to get used to. As he brushed his teeth, he listened to the creaks of the house and tried to identify them all. He could hear Sonia in her room, shifting from one side of her bed to the other. He took note in the bathroom’s creaks, as well as the hallway back to his room. Movement was something he’d been used to hearing, having had upstairs neighbors back in Chicago. Something new, however, was the silence from outside. There were no car engines running, no trains speeding past. All Eddie heard as he sat on his window ledge was the wind through the grass.

Sonia’s snores began to rumble a few doors down, signaling that she had finally fallen asleep. He took a deep breath and took a look at his room in the moonlight. It was a very dull room to begin with, but nighttime didn’t do it any favors. Everything appeared the same shade of grey, except…

Out of the corner of his eye, was something green.

From the window, he couldn’t make out what it was. It couldn’t have been bigger than a pack of gum, but it was definitely alive. As he stood up to inspect what the creature was, it dashed towards the door and slipped in the crack underneath.

“Hey!” he whispered, running to keep up. He opened the door slowly, sure to not make too much noise, and peered down the hall. The green thing was making its way down the stairs, falling down each step until it reached the first floor. Eddie shut his room’s door behind him and tip-toed down the stairs, anxious to find out what he was following. He rounded the corner and caught up to the thing in the kitchen, where he watched it slip under the door to the cellar.

“ _ No going in the cellar.” _ Sonia’s voice was crystal clear in Eddie’s mind. He wanted to follow the thing, see where it came from - but rules were rules. He was crestfallen. The door stood in front of him, almost mocking his inability to simply go inside. His curiosity needed this.  _ Sonia was asleep,  _ he thought. _ She’d never know if he was silent enough.  _ He doubted it was even unlocked in the first place.  _ If it’s locked, I go back upstairs. _

No harm in trying the handle, right?


End file.
